Charity bear inspired by Teesside cystic fibrosis sufferer

MEMORIES of a young cystic fibrosis sufferer from Teesside have inspired the production of a bespoke charity bear.

MEMORIES of a young cystic fibrosis sufferer from Teesside have inspired the production of a bespoke charity bear.

Aimee Louise Welsh battled cystic fibrosis all her life. But it was a horrific car accident on October 18 last year, when she was only 25, which caused the young Thornaby woman’s tragic and untimely death.

Aimee’s shattered cousin, Stephanie Wallace from Roseworth in Stockton decided she wanted to mark her relative’s life with a lasting tribute and raise money for other cystic fibrosis sufferers.

So when her mum Carol suggested having a bear named after Aimee, Stephanie contacted collectable teddy bear company, Clemens.

To her delight, the company agreed it was a great idea and the “Aimee-Lou Cystic Fibrosis” bear is now being produced.

Stephanie, 23, said: “Not only does the bear raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, it is made and designed by Clemens, an international, collectable bear company. Most importantly, it is designed in memory of Aimee.

“The bear designers were sent pictures of Aimee along with her favourite colours and ‘Aimee-Lou’ will be stitched in its paw.

“Aimee’s story is inspirational, and this limited edition bear represents her courage and endless capacity to love and be loved.”

Aimee died from multiple injuries nearly a month after her car and a police van collided on the approach road near Middlesbrough’s Newport Bridge in October last year. She and her fiance, Anthony Theakston, 24, had just got engaged.

PC Thomas David Hart, 27, has pleaded not guilty to causing her death and is awaiting trial.

Stephanie described her cousin, who was originally from Norton, as “a vibrant, fun-loving and truly unforgettable girl”.

“As many will know, Aimee bravely fought cystic fibrosis all of her life,” she said.

“Aimee and her family have constantly raised awareness and money for the charity over the years.

“I have set up a Facebook group to raise awareness of the bear and the project and after two days there are over 500 members and the response has been great amongst Aimee’s friends and family and the wider cystic fibrosis community.”

Aimee’s bear will feature in the Christmas Cystic Fibrosis catalogue and the online shop at www.cftrust.org.uk from the end of August.

Daring dive raises more cash

A DARING family tradition is being upheld in memory of Aimee Welsh.

Chris Sowerby is the fourth member of his family to leap from an airplane - and in doing so raised around £2,500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

He dedicated his feat to the memory of cousin Aimee, who battled the condition all her life before she was tragically killed in a road accident aged 25.

Twenty years ago Aimee’s dad Dave Welsh also featured in the Gazette after doing a static line parachute jump for the very same good cause.

He was joined on that jump by his brother-in-law, and Chris’s dad, Colin Sowerby.

Chris, from Norton, also follows his sister, Vicky, in throwing himself from a plane in a tandem jump.

The 25-year-old finance director at Berco in Spennymoor made the jump in Peterlee with two work colleagues, Paul Taylor and Amy Lyons.

He said: “Between the three of us we raised around £2,500 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which is also the company’s chosen charity for the year.”

As reported in the Gazette, Aimee, originally from Norton, had always risen above her condition.

Her family has raised thousands of pounds for vital research into cystic fibrosis. Aimee herself completed a zipslide challenge at Old Trafford in Manchester.

And 20 years ago, she was pictured in the Gazette aged six getting a big kiss from her dad after his own parachute jump at Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe.

Dave watched with pride as nephew Chris recently plummeted from the sky in memory of his daughter.

A fundraising night at the Roseworth Social Club also raised more than £4,000 for Cystic Fibrosis.

Send a story

Advertising Department

In Print

The Gazette is read by more adults than any other newspaper on sale in the Teesside area, with 95,949 average readership and 36,986 copies purchased each day, providing extensive coverage across the region.
*ABC The Gazette 100% Paid, Mon-Sat, JICREG 1/10/2012

An Essential Local Information Source

Local adults recognise the Gazette as the place to turn to...
206,000 adults would turn to the Gazette when looking for a job.
205,000 adults would turn to the Gazette when looking for articles for sale in the classified section.
187,000 adults would turn to the Gazette when looking to rent or buy a house or flat.
146,000 adults would turn to the Gazette when planning entertainment and leisure activities.
146,000 adults would turn to the Gazette when looking to buy a new/used car.

Advertising Opportunities

The Gazette offers a variety of display and classified advertising opportunities. Please view our
2012 rate card or our advertising solutions for more details about advertising opportunities.
To advertise with the Gazette please contact us.
Readership Research 2008 GfK NOP Media Total Teesside Area **JICREG April 2011

Online

Unique Users: 339,864
Page Impressions: 3,101,269
Audience figures from Omniture, monthly average (Jan 12 - Jun 12).
More than 31% of GazetteLive users have clicked through to an online advertisement, demonstrating their receptiveness to effective online advertising.
GazetteLive reaches an internet-savvy audience, with 82% of users having purchased products or services online in the past 12 months.

The Editor

Chris Styles

Chris was appointed editor of the Gazette in January 2012. He is also a former Gazette news editor. Chris has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and has previously worked in senior positions in Newcastle, Exeter and Nottingham.